Oops! Trump Administration Photo Op Turns Into Argument for Medicaid Expansion

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 21 -- The Ohio Democratic Party issued the following news:

A Trump administration official's photo op at an Ohio drug treatment facility took an unexpected turn when the facility's director declined to comment on Trump's opioid plan and instead praised Ohio's Medicaid expansion -- saying that the expansion funds care for "a large majority of the treatment center's patients" and "saves lives".

"It's great that Republicans want to provide more resources for job training for recovering addicts -- but as this photo op demonstrated, many addicts will never be able to recover without the resources being provided by John Kasich's Medicaid expansion," said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper. "Mary Taylor has come right out and said she will end Medicaid expansion, but the people of Ohio deserve to know -- will the addicts who are recovering at the Maryhaven facility be able to receive treatment if Mike DeWine becomes governor? Will he end Medicaid expansion and take away hope for the thousands of Ohioans struggling with addiction?"

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Shawn Holt, president and chief executive officer of Maryhaven, declined comment on the adequacy of Trump's opioid fight plan. "We'll kind of let the politics play out," he said.

But one thing Holt did address: Gov. John Kasich's tax-funded expansion of Medicaid health care to more than 700,000 Ohioans, largely the working poor, is making a difference in the opioid fight.

A large majority of the treatment center's patients are being treated thanks to their coverage under the expansion of Medicaid, Holt said.

Andrew Moss, director of the new Maryhaven facility, added simply: "It saves lives."